System of irrigation.



G; H. VON HOHENSTEIN.

SYSTEM OF IRRIGATION. V APPLIQATION I'ILED Q0121, 1910.

Patented Mar.7,1;911.

CHARLES H. VON HQHENSTEIN, OF SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS.

SYSTEM OF IRRIGATIQN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 1, 1910. Serial No. 584,794.

system which shall completely supply the desired area at a minimum cost of construction. In carryingout my invention, I connect a main or distributing pipe or feeder with a suitable water supply, such as an elevated tank, and to this feeder I connect any de-v sired number of lateral pipe lines which are formed with perforations on their'upper sides to distribute water in fine sprays or clouds on the adjacent land, and I support s I i these pipes on wires provided with brackets or sockets for the pipes and secured at opposite ends tofirinly planted posts. The wires are placed under suiiicient tension to hold the pipes between two posts located a considerable distance from each other, by which arrangement i save large expense in construction of the plant.

' In the accompanying drawings :l3igure 1 is a diagrammatic perspectiveView, illus trat-ing a system of surface irrigation, organized in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of one of the perforated lateral pipes. Fig. 8 i s a perspective view of a section of the pipesupporting wire provided with brackets or sockets for the perforated pipe. Fig. 4 is a detail view on an enlarged scale and in transverse section through one of the lateral pipes and through its supporting wire and bracket. p

Water may be supplied to the system in various in the drawings, lhave, for the purpose of illustration, shown a water tank, i i, supported on a frame, and con nested by means of a pipe, 0, with a engins, D, operating apuinp connected at d with a well or. other source of supply, E.

The tank, A, is connected by a fced pipe, with a distributing pipe or feed (at, and

the laterally arranged perforated pipes, H, are connected. with the feeder 1n the man- 'Way.

ner shown. Preferably the feeder is held at an elevation of something over six feet above the ground, and is supported on posts, g, located at suitable distances a art. The lateral pipe lines, H are connecte with the feeder at h by suitable couplings, and each lateral is provided with a valve, 1, by means of which it may be disconnected from the feed pipe. Each lateral pipe line is supported in brackets or sockets, j, secured tea the, J. These sockets or brackets may be located suitable distances apart to properly support the pipe and the wire is stretched between two posts, K, which are firmly planted in the ground and are of sufficient size and strength to withstand the strain placed on the wire when it is, by suitable machinery, stretched or put under tension. One end of the wire is anchored in the ground at L after being secured to the adjacent post and the opposite endis anchored,

as indicated at L. The partsof the wires,

Patented Mar. '7, 1911.

between the anchors L and L and the to s of the adjacent posts act as guys and assist the posts ii opposite ends of the wire in taking the strain caused by the stretching of the wire and the weight of the pipe. The posts K may be located at opposite ends of a field which may be half a mile or more in width, but when the stretched wire is of this length it is desirable to employ intermediate posts for supporting the wire, but even in such case such intermediate posts may be 156 feet or more from each other. It will be apparent that in this Way very simple, etfieient and inexpensive means may be provided for supporting the lateral irrigating pipes. As before the fecderG is preferably located somewhat more than (ifeet above the ground level in order that workmen may readily pass under it,as may also teams. The lateral perforated pipes will in like manner be elevated in sufi'icient distance above the ground, say 6 feet or more for the same purpose.

The pipes, H, are made in aninexpensive They are constructed of thin sheet metal, properly treated to preventrusting and may he made 111 sections of considerable length and wherever necessary joined y suit-able couplings or lay solder. The per forations, 2c, in the pipes, as indicated. in Fig. 4c, are so located as to distribute the water thoroughly and in such manner as to produce an artificial drizzling rain upon the" surface. of the ground.

In the drawings, I have shown three lateral pipe lines, H, but I have indicated at M how the distributing pipe or feeder, G, may be increased in length by coupling devices, m and a larger number of laterals fed from this pipe. Suitable valves are located at N to cut cit communication bet-ween the water-supply and either side of the feeder, so that any particular part of the land may be irrigated without necessarily irrigating by the entire system of pipes.

Where a very large area of land is to be fed from the water supply, A; 1 preferably connect with the feed pipe, G, or otherwise connect with the water supply, a pipe, 0, which may extend a suitable distance from the feeder, G, and connect with another similar feeder which will supply another set or the surface. In this way the surface of the ground is kept in a loose, pulverulent condition rather than in a hard baked condition as is the case where the soil is watered by heavy sprays.

By a system of irrigation such as described, and such as is indicated in the drawings, intensive farming in arid countries can be mosteficiently carried on with but relatively small capital for puttlng in the plant and with small expense of mainte nance which will be more than compensated for by the increased value of the crops gathered on account of sufficient irrigation of the kind described.

The extreme ends of the feeder G may be closed by caps, plugs or other suitable devices, P, and the ends of the lateral perforated pipes, H, may be closed by caps or plugs, 72/, which maybe readily removed when it is desired to clean the pipes should any obstruction occur.

I claim as my invention A system of surface irrigation, comprising a horizontally arranged main feed pipe connected with a water supply, posts on which it is supported at suitable intervals, horizontally arranged parallel perforated distributing pipes connected with the feed pipe at suitable intervals, a horizontally arranged stretched pipe-supporting wire parallel with each distributing pipe, brackets carried by said wire and arranged above them in which the pipe is supported, posts to which said wire is connected and guys connected with the posts and anchored in the ground, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto 1 subscribed my name.

CHAS. H. VQN HOHENSTEIN.

Witnesses LLOYD B. lNIGHT,

N. CUR'ris LAMMOND. 

